Chapter 8 Keary
KEARY
Bad joke incoming—Mother Nature looks at a dog, a deer, a bird, and a dinosaur and thinks, let me see what happens when I combine all these creatures into one.
I know they’re supposed to walk into a bar, but bars are few and far between these days.
The outcome of that animal orgy is… What the fuck is that?
It takes me an embarrassing three days to realize that Rainer isn’t completely healed. It takes me another day to figure out how to keep him from limping by mid-afternoon by slowing our progress and stopping earlier than I normally would have.
I miss the days when travel portals were a thing. We passed the shell of a truck an hour ago, and it made me nostalgic for the days of quick travel. I’m not even going to think about the planes and helicopters that used to dominate the skies.
The last time I traveled by sunbeam and tried to bring someone with me, they were sliced in half. Thankfully, they were a ghost, so they managed to split apart before it utterly destroyed them. They’re still alive, though with some nasty-looking scars across their chest.
There’s a chance I should have listened to my parents on how to move through sunlight back in the day when my so-called magic was expanding.
I can probably figure it out now, but I’m not willing to risk the life of anyone I’m close to.
There would be collateral damage, and nah. I’ll have to live with walking.
Sometimes, I muse that humans thought they were being so clever when they were making electric cars, but what happens when the power goes out? What happens when those power generators go out with no one around to keep them running?
Those electric vehicles become as useless as gasoline vehicles when no one is left to pump oil from the ground.
What they should have been working on was truly clean energy, like those damn wind turbines that still function and electrify some areas of the world.
Needless to say, there are monsters in those areas.
I look at Rainer to gauge his pain level. He’s beginning to limp a little, but he’s doing well at hiding it. We can walk a while longer.
My eyes drop to the lut at his side, and I smile with amusement. “Lut” is what we’ve come to call the hybrid beasts who somehow manage to spawn with the animals native to Earth. They tend to be somewhat smaller in size compared to the massive beasts, but sometimes they’re just as deadly.
This lut, the one Rainer named Kaida, is probably far deadlier than she appears, but the problem with animals like this is that they’re likely born as one-of-a-kind. Therefore, they don’t have a lot of role models to teach them what they’re capable of.
Kaida shows signs that she can likely fly.
I’ve seen her hover in the air when she jumps, as if she’s defying gravity and waiting for the magic within her to expand.
She also has feathers, which doesn’t necessarily mean she can fly, but it lends to the idea that she has avian genetics mixed in there somewhere.
I bet there are other hidden secrets that Kaida doesn’t know she holds.
“Stop here for the night?” Notto suggests as we’re coming upon what used to be a suburban neighborhood.
Rainer looks around and shrugs. It’s as good a spot as any.
“Why here?” Drystan asks.
“There’s a settlement close by, and we can check out what they have for food,” Notto says. “If they have nothing we want, there’s also a river just beyond where we can fish.”
Rainer shrugs again.
We wander down the street of the cul-de-sac.
I’ll never get over how eerie places like this look.
Once, they were filled with life—car pollution, music blaring from windows, kids riding bikes, laughter, the splash of people in pools, perfectly manicured lawns uniform in design, each cul-de-sac exactly like the neighborhood next door.
Doors now rock on their hinges, pushed by an invisible breeze. The grass is wildly overgrown and uneven. There are trees growing out of windows, through roofs, and on top of cars. Nature is swallowing it whole.
Animals have claimed this place as theirs. I see the tracks of small prey and the larger predators that hunt them. I’m sure there was eyeshine coming from the top window of one of the houses we passed.
Kaida’s nose lifts into the air as she takes notes of what animals take up the area. She’ll let us know that something is near before we hear it. She likely would have known about the flying beast days before it came down on us.
“This one looks good,” Drystan says as he veers from the middle of the street. This house seems to be made of trees. It’s becoming its own forest, yet somehow, I think those trees are adding structural support to the house. It appears more solid than any other we’ve passed thus far.
We follow Drystan to the back, and I have to admit, the place looks enchanted.
There’s a hollow within the trees where the pool is.
Nature has created its own little ecosystem within the pool, which is kind of awesome.
The deep end has maybe a couple feet of water at its deepest. There are water lilies and flowers floating along the top.
Also reeds, I think, though I’m not sure that’s what they are since the climate isn’t exactly right for them.
There’s dark, fertile dirt supporting tall grasses and a mossy floor. Small mammal and duck tracks can be seen from where we stand at the top looking in. There’s rustling in the brush. Quiet chirps and noises.
“When I see places like this, I can’t help but think the world is better this way,” Drystan says.
We turn to look at him. He’s staring up at the house. The trees have taken root all over, but there are pockets of clear area. One of the trees has long, tendril-like branches that are in bloom right now. As they move, it fills the air with a soft floral scent.
There are birds singing and bees peacefully dipping into flowers. I think I even hear a wind chime. As if nature itself enjoys its songs, it’s somehow still hanging in place so it can continue to sing.
Notto tugs on Drystan’s arm. “We’re going to see if we can get some food,” he says. “You can set up camp.”
I nod. Both drop their bags and disappear around the side of the house again.
“He might be right,” Rainer says. His fingers are buried in the feathers of Kaida’s neck as she leans against his side. His weight is heavily against Kaida, favoring the injured leg.
Maybe we’ll find a reason to stay here for an extra day, then adjust our trajectory north so we can stop at Base 6 and visit a nephilim to heal him before the rest of the way.
“It’s strangely beautiful,” Rainer says when I don’t answer. “Peaceful.”
I nod absently. I prefer a tropical beach with a whole lot of unfiltered sun. “It’s nice.” He gives me a dubious look, so I flash him a grin. “It’s one of the best places we’ve been,” I concede.
He goes about collecting branches for a fire. Kaida trails him, her nose never stopping its inspection of the area. She’s relaxed enough, so I don’t think there’s anything we need to worry about.
Leaving them to the fire, I pick my way through the trees tightly clinging to the side of the house. There’s a back entrance that had once been double doors, though I don’t see the doors anywhere now. Inside, moss and creeping vines cover the floor for several feet before giving way to the tile.
It’s nice flooring—shiny like polished marble.
The kitchen that I’ve walked into is remarkably clean and in decent condition.
There’s a hole over the island with roots creeping across the ceiling, and the chandelier that had once been there is lying across the island and surrounding floor, shattered. Otherwise, the room is largely intact.
Weird, though. Wouldn’t animals have scavenged the cabinets and fridge for food once the humans left? There’s no sign of that at all.
I turn toward the window and look outside. I can’t see Rainer, which makes me uncomfortable. This house is giving off some strange signs. Instead of exploring the inside further, I hurry back out to find my human.
He’s right where I left him, sitting in front of a fire that he’s built with Kaida at his side. Rainer’s arm is wrapped around her, the other rubbing his ankle. Yep, we’re stopping at Base 6.
Rainer looks up as I approach. “What did you find?”
I glance back with a frown. “I’m not sure.” He gives me an amused expression. “Besides the flora overtaking the house, it’s strangely clean and solid. There’s no sign of scavengers or even squatters.”
“You think we should go somewhere else?” he asks.
Kaida looks up at me with her bright blue eyes, and I shake my head. “She’s completely relaxed,” I say, gesturing to her. “If there was something here we should be concerned with, Kaida wouldn’t be comfortably sitting here.”
I take a seat on Rainer’s other side and admire the fire he’s built. It’s not cold by any means, but fires are another line of protection. Not many beasts or animals will willingly approach one.
“Maybe we’ll stay here for a day or two,” I say, glancing at Rainer to gauge his reaction. “Then stop at Base 6 to have your ankle looked at.”
His hand immediately comes off his ankle. “I’m fine.”
“Are you on a deadline to reach the pod?”
He rolls his eyes, but I don’t miss the hint of a smile on his lips. “No. I’m just saying that we don’t need to go out of the way. I really am fine.”
I’m not going to argue about him being fine. I’ll choose to skip that for now. “We’re not on a set path. For now, we’re heading north, though we might want to reconsider this venture and hold off until the spring. It’s going to start getting nasty the further north we head.”
Rainer shrugs. “I’ve lived through the icy winters for years. It’s fine.”
“But I enjoy the sun,” I say. “I’m also going to point out that humans are at a disadvantage in the winter because they aren’t built for that weather. Monsters, for the most part, are pretty immune to temperatures.”
“You’re able to thermoregulate like reptiles?”
I huff. “No.” I don’t expand on that because I’m unsure of the reason temperatures don’t readily affect monsters like they do humans. “I don’t have an explanation as to why. We’re going to have to call it monster magic.”
He snorts.
Leaning forward, I look at Kaida. “Want to see if we can learn something new about you?” I ask the lut.
There’s no doubt that she knows exactly what I’m saying. Her head tilts as she considers me before she gets up and sits in front of me, looking up expectantly.
“I’m not promising anything,” I tell her, “but I have a feeling you’re capable of things that you don’t know how to access.”
She opens her mouth and sticks her tongue out, choosing to breathe like that in answer. Beside me, Rainer laughs quietly.
I hold my hand out. “Can I touch you, Kaida?”
She inclines her head, though her eyes remain locked on mine.
Scooching myself forward, I feel around her neck. Sure enough, there are interesting folds and ridges that follow its length. “Feel this?” I ask her, receiving no answer. “I think these are for display. You can probably fan them out.”
I bring my hands toward my neck then flare them outward.
“What’s the point of that?” Rainer asks.
“Intimidation tactic. Animals with fans like that use them to look bigger than they are as a deterrent for larger animals who think they’re prey.”
“Huh.”
Bringing my hand back to Kaida, I drag it through the feather-fur combination on her shoulder. They continue to cover her body in a strange mixture that shouldn’t work. It should make her look patchy, but there’s a perfect blend.
Finally, I find what I’m looking for and trace the shape. “Feel this?” I ask her. Kaida tilts her head. “Follow my fingers. They’ll be mirrored on the other side. Try to control those muscles specifically.”
Her side twitches, then there’s a ripple under her skin. Her muscles flex.
Quite suddenly, enormous wings unfurl from her sides. Rainer and I are sent backward as she expands in size. I nearly laugh at Kaida’s reaction.
She’s clearly as startled as Rainer is. Her head turns to examine one of her wings, then her eyes roll up as if she’s trying to see what appeared on top of her head. If only she could see the newly lengthened and sharpened canines in her mouth.
“Wow,” Rainer says, grinning. “Look at you, Kaida!”
“I’m afraid I don’t have wings, so I can’t tell you how to use them. But when we stop at Base 6, there are tons of monsters there that can help you learn if you can’t figure them out.”
Rainer ducks his head to look under her wings, and I see what he’s looking at. Her tail has turned strangely scaly, ending in spikes. I’m reminded of a dinosaur.
“Go see what you can do,” I encourage her. “Don’t hurt yourself though.”
There’s no doubt that Kaida gives me a glare. She touches her nose to Rainer and turns, jumping over the fire and pool with an effortless, clean leap before landing lightly on her feet like a cat.
I wrap my arm around Rainer and pull him into my side as we watch Kaida beyond the magical little forest we’re sitting within. He isn’t stiff in my hold, something I find makes my stomach dance and my dick twitch in excitement.
“Is there more about her we don’t know?” he asks.
“Yes. But I know exactly who we can ask when we get to Base 6.”
He sighs. I drag my hand up his back and into his hair. Rainer huffs but doesn’t pull away, so I decide that maybe I’m going to take it one step further. Gripping his hair, I turn his face and bring it to mine where I crush our mouths together.
His lips curl into a smile, and I’m both amused and annoyed that he finds it funny. Small victory—he doesn’t push me away.
Little fucker shouldn’t be laughing though. I tug at his hair hard enough to make him gasp. With his lips parted, I invade his mouth. My entire soul lights up like the sun when he kisses me in return. Enthusiastically. Expertly. Hell yeah.
Oh fuck yeah! He tastes good.
I bring my free hand to his face and down the side of his neck, gently tugging him closer. Tasting him. Devouring him.
“Seriously?” Drystan says, and Rainer jerks away. “You can kiss him, but I can’t?”
I don’t give him an answer. Only smirk smugly at him. Yes, that’s exactly what the rules are.